Prayer of a Goddess
by Kaden Frontae
Summary: Nariko's life has always been full of hardship. To survive it, she looks upon the only person who understands her.


"Again, Nariko!"

On command, I held the hilt of the sword to my shoulder and charged with the blade outstretched. I yelled a battlecry as i approched the target and screeched as the blade made contact. the blade ran through the wooden dummy like it was parchment. I drew the sowrd out, flicked it back and sliced at the head in one swift movement. the log was cut clean off and tumbled to the grassy earth.

For style, i twirled the blade and threw it back into its scabbard. i took a deep breath and turned to bow at the village leader. His face showed only contempt.

"Very good, Nariko," he said plainly, "Your strength is improving. Howver, your cry was unessesary. If you had been going to for stealth, the enemy would have disocvered you and, if there were reinforcments, you'd have more on your hands then needed."

"my apologies," I said.

" I do not wish to hear apologies, Nariko," He said. "I want to see results. You are our tribe's finest warrior; start showing it."

Anger started to rear itself in the bowles of my stomach, but years of training taught me to push it back in. "Yes, sir."

"Keep practicing on your own. I will come back later top check on your progress." He left at that, walking back into the village.

"Yes, father," I say, knowing that he can't hear me. With Shen out of sight, i drew the sword and started slicing at air.

It has always been this way: training, critisism, more training, rest, and training again. It seems that mos tof my life has been dedicated to training under my father, Shen, instead of the regular activities of the other women in our tribe. Not that i am complaining; I would much rather feel the cold steel of a blade then patching cloths and cooking. Besides, the other women secretly despise me, as does the rest of the tribe. to them, I am simply a bad omen--a curse cast upon them fr their sins. I am someone that should not have existed.

A hated warrior in training instead of a future housewife: that was my childhood. And a ddreaded warrior is my present.

I had just finished a somersault kick on a straw dummy when i heard something rustling in the trees. I took a quick battle stance and listened carefully for any more rustle was heard behind me. I jumped to face te rustle, only for another one to echo behind me again.

Assassins I thought? How did they get trough the watchmen? and whose were they? Most likely a neighboring tribe that suddely aquired a intrest in our tribe's treasure, the Heavenly Sword. With it, anyone could rule over the lands with no enemies.

Well if they wanted it, they would have to get through me.

I had no time to take offensive when i heard the twang of a crossbow from behind. My reflexes allowed me to jump clean out of the way so the bolt hit right between the non-existant eyes of a wodden dummy behind me. I got into battle position again, but then closly examined the bolt. it was wood with turqouise feathers adourning from its shaft. There was only one person I knew who shot those kind of arrows.

I looked up into the trees and Found my friend, Kai, waiving at me with a goofy smile on her face and her signature bowgun under her arm. I wave back at her a smile. she defintely had a way with getting other's attention.

Kai retracted her bowgun, grabbed a bag that was resting on the branch beside her, and swng and flipped herself down, like a natural monkey. she landed, dropped the bag, and ran up to tackle me to the ground. I laughed and said, "Hello, Kai."

"Nariko!" Kai exclaimed. "Kai missed Nariko!"

"We saw eachother this morning, Kai," I said as i gently pushed her off of my stomach. I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be training right now...?"

Kai pouted. "Kai got bored...killed all of them...i climbed a tall tree and found some birds. They weren't very tasty. Then Kai thought she would see what Nariko was doing."

"Well, you found me," I said. "But Kai, you knwo skipping training is a serious offense. I'm sorry, but you're going to be severly punished."

"No," Kai said, crawling back from me. "No Nariko...please, not again."

"Oh yes Kai," I said, smirking and crawling after her. "I think you're aware of the punishment, too."

Kai started to run, but i caught her around the waist and started to tickle her waist. She fell down laughing and I started to tickle her feet. She kicked and laughed as I went up and tickeled her sides. taking offensive, she tickled my stomach and i started to laugh. pretty soon, we were both a tumbling mess of kicks and laughter. And i enjoyed every second of it.

exhausted from our laughing, we collapsed to the ground and smiled at eachother. "Oh," Kai said suddenly, jumping up. "almost forgot!" she skipped over to the bag she had came with and roght it over. she held the bag upside down and four large, brown colored melons came pouring out. "Kai picked these for us! but they're only for us, so no telling, okay?"

I recognized these fruit. They were rokka fruit, a special fruit that only grew once a year in the spring. When they were their ripest, they were supposed to be the sweetest fruit in the lands, but it was hard to get the timing for them. These, however, seemed jsut ripe enough.

I smiled and said, "Okay, i won't tell anyone." I sat down in the smooth grass, took and fruit, and slipt it open. Kai did the same and immediately startied devouring it.I laughed as she got sticky goo from the fruit all over her face.

I ate and reclined my head. the breeze felt nice on my skin and scarlet hair. I heard the chime of brids singing in tress for the first time today. they were probably scared off from my screams and slashing in that, or they were following Kai for vengance over their fallen kin. Either way, it was nice to hear them.

I look over at my friend, who was now eating the peel of the fruit.I rememebr when i first found this now chipper little girl. I was hunting wild yak for our tribe and I passed by a cave. From the cave came strange noises, almost like whining or growling. with my spear ready, I preaked into the small opening. Inside was a girl, looking no older then ten or so, naked and hiding in the darkness. she saw me and tried to claw at me through the opening. I retreated and she growled at me, crawling back into the dark. when she shot her arm ouit, i saw bruises and scapes. She must have been in there for a some time, I thought; I can't jsut leave her here. I found some berries froma nearby bush and offered them to her. she hissed at me, but still snatched them and ate them like a wild wolf. I took another handful from the bush and offered them again, only this time she would have to come out to get them. she hesiated, but hungry for more, she ran out and snatched them. she was about to run back in, but i grabbed her arm to prevent her. she screamed and kicks and clawed, like a bear in a trap, tyring depserately to get free. I turned her around so we would see eachother face to face.

I still remember those eyes: they were filled with fear, axiety, hopelessness. I reconized them; they were the same eyes i had when i was first beign trained at 6 year not understanding her situation, imediately sympathized with her pain and took her into my arms. she protested at first, but screams tuyrned into cries, and kicks turned into holding me. I held her tighter as she cried mre.

I took her back to the tribe and Shen accepted her into our clan. However, she never really was around anyone else but me. a lot of people in our tribe called us "The Devil Sisters". And in a way, maybe they were right. if anything, Kai was defintely a sister to me.

Kai finished the second fruit quickly and hummed in delight. "Kai liked that!" she said. I laughed and look another bite from my seond fruit, enjoying the afternoon. I probably should have been training, but a little bit more of a break wouldn't hurt.

"...Hey, Nariko," Kai said, "Kai has a question."

I swallowed and looked at her with a go-on expression.

"I was wodering...why is master Shen so hard on Nariko? he dosent work anybody else as hard as He does Nariko."

My expression turned bleak at that statement and I turned away. Suddenly, the birds didn't sound so nice. "Because I was a mistake." I said.

And i was right. my clan had a prophecy. it stated that a warrior would be sent from the heavens with a godly blade (our Hevanly Sword) would defend them from evil. when the warrior passed away, the sword was left behind and went through many hands before it returned to our clan. It was believed that one day, in the year of the fire-horse, a male child would be born to weild the sword, brining peace and tranquility to the land.

I was that male child. I was born that year and my mother died from childbirth. My father secretly still dosen't forgive me for her death. he rest of the clan thought of me an omen from the heavens, a sign that pece would never come and evil would destroy us. Ever since, i have been nothing but a bother and common source of hatred for my clan. I was a constant reminder of the dark future that would come to them.

Of course i didn't tell Kai this. I thought I'd be best if she didn't know.  
Kai looked at me with concern and touched my knee gently. "Nariko bad girl," She said, slapping my knee. "Nariko mustn't say that! Nariko isn't a mistake; Nariko is Kai's friend. Without Nariko, Kai would still be in that cave, alone and scared. Nariko saved Kai. So now Kai will return the favor."  
I turned to her. "Kai..."  
Kai then crawled into my lap and looked me strait in the face. "Kai won't let Nariko say that bad word anymore. Kai will always be Nariko's friend, so she'll alway feel like...not that word." she smiled. "Kai will be Nariko's reason to live."  
My eyes were wide with surprise. In all of my life, i have never heard more touching words. eyes on the brin of tears, I hugged her, and she hugged me back. "Thank you, Kai..." I silently said. I could feel her nod.  
If there are any gods that watch over us, then let this be my one and only prayer. Keep Kai safe. She is the onyl one who has ever befriended me, the only one to shwo me true compassion. If the day comes that may no longer be around, i wan't her to be safe and happy. That is my only wish.  
Amen.


End file.
